The Raven
by kiinchu
Summary: "Why do you act like you're so invincible?" / "What makes you think I'm not?" /OC/ My only purpose was to make you question everything you've ever believed in - always remember that the Devil's greatest trick is persuading you that he does not exist.
1. The End

**Chapter One: The End**

* * *

And his eyes have all the seeming  
Of a demon's that is dreaming,  
And the lamplight o'er him streaming  
Throws his shadow on the floor,  
And my soul from out that shadow,  
that lies floating on the floor,  
shall be lifted-nevermore.

- Edgar Allen Poe

* * *

_Sasuke._

_There's no time for me to explain what is going to happen over the next twenty-four hours - __I just need you to know that this is not your fault._

_You are an avenger, but you must live only for the revenge of your family, and you must not hesitate to stop anyone who gets in your way. __Please remember that when they bring you the news of my death. You have one goal and one goal alone - to become stronger. Avenging me will only hinder your journey._

_Let my soul rest in peace. I do not want to live on through your actions. I want to die here._

_Do not avenge me._

* * *

The room was illuminated by a single candle. Its flames twisted and grew with each passing second, the cracking of the wick roaring louder as red shadows danced on the walls.

The room smelt of death; of blood and rotting flesh, broken bones and disfigured skin. A corpse lay in the corner, still chained to the wall behind it by a single anklet. Face down, red hair spilled over the floor, blending with blackened blood. Whoever found the body would have no question of the cause of death, for the weapon of choice was still protruding from the corpses' back. The means behind the death, however, wouldn't be decided until the autopsy, if there was one at all.

Orochimaru expected the body to be rotten to the core by the time anyone found it. He was excellent at keeping things hidden, and the location of the cell he had contained the body in was one only known to him.

However, even if his expectations weren't met, he knew no one would come after him for it. For once, his actions would have been seen as a good deed towards humanity - the murder of one of Kohana's shinobi would not be held against him this time, which meant he had a few more years of hiding in peace.

Or, so he thought.

The snake had never really considered bonds between shinobi to be like that of brothers. He had torn families and friendship apart on whims, had watched shinobi sacrifice all that was important to them on last minute goals. His strongest vessel had almost killed his best friend and former teammate on the mere hope of gaining more power, and would probably succeed is disposing of them if given another chance. So there was no surprise that he had overlooked those bonds when he shot his sword through his prisoner's heart, pinning her to the ground for what he hoped would be the rest of eternity. He had watched her from the corner of the cell as she had reached out to him, blood falling from her mouth as the life from her glowing red eyes died out and her body grew cold. And when her head fell in defeat all he could do was sigh in relief, thinking that it was over.

But it would never truly be over - the bonds of her life would haunt him, torture him, murder him. A life for a life.

Except that his life was eternal, he had gained sanctuary from death the moment he had decided Shin had to die. The uncontrollable powers of the world had decided to capture his soul for eternity, and torture him for as long as the universe would remain.

And until that day came, the shinobi of the world would do the same.

* * *

_Itachi._

_This is my final goodbye._

_You had to have known that my time was coming. You should have died the night of the massacre, too, but you didn't because I wouldn't let you. No matter what you'd have yourself believe, you know in your heart that this is true._

_I want to thank you for not telling anyone about me. I am not saying I do not blame you for this, since it was your attempt at my life that woke up this side of me. But your ability to keep secrets saved me some precious time, and I am grateful._

_I have one request for you and I know you will follow through with it, only because deep down I know you still love your brother. Do not let Sasuke come after me. Do not let him fall from his path. Make sure that he remains blind to those around him. I cannot be his downfall as I was yours._

_I know you resent me for the answers I did not give you; therefore my death will also serve as my redemption. Follow the ravens, they will guide you to the truth._

_Goodbye, Itachi._

_ I have always cared for you._

* * *

Kakashi pulled the sword out of the back of the body that lay before him, throwing it to the side before behind down and pulling the girl into his arms. He moved the long, tangled hair from the body's face and sighed.

"Death confirmed," Kakashi spoke to the two ANBU members behind him as he stared into the lifeless eyes of his former comrade. "Natasu Shin, 19 years old."

"How long since the time of death?" One of the ANBU members spoke.

"She disappeared about a month ago, and by the color of the blood she died not long after that. However," Kakashi stopped, touching her face. A small heat was radiating from where cold was not moments ago. "Her body hasn't begun to rot yet. Usually it only takes a few days. Also," he moved his hand to her throat in attempt to find a source of life. "Her body has begun to regain some warmth, but she still has no pulse. She was dead cold not even three minutes ago."

"Maybe it's her body responding to the sword removal," the same masked man replied. "It may have confused the sudden action for a pulse. Sometimes a persons' body will still fight for survival long after it's given up."

Kakashi sighed once more and closed his visible eye, trying to recall any information about the girl in front of him. It wouldn't be uncommon for a persons' bloodline to be the cause of strange bodily reactions in the case of their death, but Kakashi couldn't recall anything significant about her. The only thing for his team to do was bring her body home for an autopsy and proper funeral.

* * *

The funeral had only just begun when the two Akatsuki members entered the village. Sneaking through the gate was easy enough, seeing as the guard unit hadn't been changed since the last time the two had stopped by for a visit. They made their way to the top of the Hokage monument, seating themselves behind the Fourth's nose so that their shadows would blend with that of the mountain.

"Why are we here again, Itachi?" The larger man grumbled, staring down at the rows of people dressed in black.

Follow the ravens, the note had said.

And the ravens had led him home.


	2. What Once Was

**Chapter Two: What Once Was**

* * *

_We cannot simply see horrible things and wish for them to be better._

_Wishing will change nothing. The course of your future will still be held on to the decision you made to let a certain person or event effect you while you just stood by and wished it hadn't._

_A girl stares at herself in a pond and paints her face for the noble war. She wears her white mask of hatred and her lips are so red it's a shame she didn't paint them with her own blood. Instead, it is the blood of hundreds of others that have dug themselves deep into her soul and taken root. The branches of fallen soldiers pour from the roots of her hair and set flames to the world before her._

_There are silver tears falling from the sockets where her eyes should be. There is a pounding in her chest that cannot be silenced until the last breath leaves her lips, which will take far longer than any normal lifespan._

_The world has awoken and the war has begun._

_She takes her final bow before the mask is removed and the plot begins to spin._

* * *

She was five years old when she first met the man who would inevitably ruin her life.

They had both been admitted to the academy earlier than most based on pure talent. Itachi Uchiha was a prodigy born and raised, while Shin Natasu was a prodigy made from dirt and rags; a foster child to a single civilian whose main income was working part time at a sushi shack down the road from their apartment. The young red haired girl had joined the ninja academy because she would be fully working by the age of 12, making more money than average and repaying her mother for taking her in at such a critical time in her life.

Both of their goals were protection.

For Itachi, it was the village.

For Shin, it was her mother.

Those goals alone should have been enough to unite them as a strong duo force, but sadly the two were more alike than just their abilities. They both lived in isolation due to their status. While Itachi was congratulated for his strength, Shin was exiled - a girl who no moral structure could not be a safe weapon.

They had bumped into each other the day of their orientation. She had been walking home with her head down, the glossy red hair that matted her head hanging in front of her face as if she had already been defeated. She had been up all night dealing with her mother's coughing fits, trying to coax her to sleep before she had to return to work. This left the five year old with two hours of sleep and a full day ahead of her.

She was thinking about dinner when she crashed into the boy's chest and fell to the ground. Normally the young girl would let the incident go, always making it a point to avoid any sort of conflict. Things didn't get to her easily – she had far much more to worry about, but for some reason that day had her on edge and she couldn't help but snap her head up at the boy in front of her with glaring eyes.

However, that is all she did.

Itachi looked down at the girl in front of him, his face blank. She had messy red hair that had been cut so messily that it stuck out all over her head like a porcupine. Her eyes were dark as night, with a light blue tint to them that reflected his own. She was pale and skinny and wore a simple black outfit with no proper design to it whatsoever.

"Excuse me," he said, reaching out his hand as to help her up. It seemed odd to him that she had not said anything, and still continued to say nothing even when her cold hands grabbed his and he lifted her up. "I apologize."

The girl only nodded before walking passed him.

* * *

Dear diary,

Today I met a boy and I was really nervous. He made me mad because he knocked me down and I got dirt all over my clothes, so now I'm going to be made fun of at the academy because I'm dirty. Kaa can't afford the water bill so I can't wash them, and even if I could they would only get stolen when I hang them outside to dry. I was so angry even though I know it's not his fault because I wasn't looking where I was going I'm still going to blame him because he's perfect. We're both the youngest in our class which means we have the same potential but I already know everyone else treats him better than me. We're the same but different and I don't know how that can be.

Anyway, Kaa is sleeping right now which is good because she didn't sleep much last night, even though she still slept more than I did. I wish I could fix her but I don't know what's wrong with her and she won't tell me. I think it's the lack of food. She left leftover sushi on the counter today but I don't want to eat it because then she won't have any food in the morning.

I'm going to try to sleep but I doubt it will happen. I really wish I had a pet to keep me company.

* * *

Dear Diary,

It's been two years since I've entered the academy and today is the day I graduate. They told me 12 was the youngest I could be before I officially earned my title as a shinobi, but today is actually my birthday and I am only 7. The only other people in the entire village to do this well were Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha. Kakashi is older than me so he's well off already but Itachi is graduating with me tomorrow. People are starting to see me just like they see him, just not as perfect. Wish me luck with telling Kaa! She's either going to be very happy or very upset, I'm not sure.

* * *

Dear Diary,

Kaa still isn't talking to me.

I don't know what I did wrong.

* * *

Diary,

We took Kaa to the hospital today - we as in me and Itachi. I went to bring flowers to Kaa at the sushi shack to apologize for whatever I did wrong and when I got there she wasn't breathing. Her boss was trying to help her but he didn't know anything about it. Itachi saw me and carried her to the hospital while I carried her things. I'm still here, in the waiting room. Itsachi went home an hour ago because had to watch his brother while his dad was at a meeting. It's funny how odd that word sounds to me - Dad. Ever since I left the academy I forgot people were dad's, since I didn't have to see anyone else with theirs.

I wanted to be mad at him but it's not his fault. Nothing I ever get mad at him for is his fault and that only makes me mad at myself.

* * *

"I heard you got assigned to a team today, Shin-chan. Congratulations."

Shin Natasu looked up from the book in her lap and gave a small smile. She still had yet to say more than a few words to the boy in passing since their encounter five years ago, but it did not discourage him from trying. Shin was the closest thing to a friend the young boy had, and he would not give that up simply because she did not like to speak very often.

"Arigatou."

Her voice was barely audible - she was too soft spoken for such rough features. Her messy hair had grown passed her shoulders, but still stook out in spikes due to her previous sheared haircut. Her clothes had become a bit nicer over the years, donning tight black pants and a matching top. Her shinobi headband was tied tightly on her upper arm above a series of bandages that wrapped down to her elbow.

"When do you meet them?"

The girl shrugged. Itachi sighed.

"Oh well, I'll see you later."

She smiled at him, her gaze never faltering as the young man turned and began walking towards his home

* * *

.Dear Diary,

Today I turned 11 and it was the best birthday I've ever had.

Kaa made dinner for me and it was delicious. We sat around hte living and talked and she didn't even cough once. Itachi came over and actually stayed for more than a few minutes. It's so hard being around him because I want so much to be him, and I can't explain that to him because he'll think I'm being selfish. I already know I am, but... I don't know how to explain it even to you, diary. But I think me and him are becoming friends and I kind of like it.

I've never had a friend before.

Itachi and I went to the cherry blossom festival today. This is the first day we actually spent the day together. He's leaving for a mission tomorrow morning and won't be back until a month from now. It's strange because I'm going to miss him, even though we only spend a few minutes together a day. I don't have another mission until next week, and until then it's just going to be me and Kaa.

I wont a stuffed animal at the festival and ate a lot of food. Itachi walked me home afterwards and has probably already made it to his house. He's become a chuunin, which is a great thing and I shouldn't be jealous but I am. I know that I'll pass the exams next year, it just feels weird how he's already ahead of me.

* * *

Kaa is in the hospital.

I'm so scared.

* * *

The doctors said that Kaa can come home tomorrow.

I hope Itachi understands why I cannot be at the gate when he comes home.

* * *

Diary,

Itachi came over and made dinner for Kaa while I was preparing for tomorrow's mission. I wish there was something I could do for him to show my appreciation, but I can't. He'll never truly understand how much that meant to me.

I don't want to leave now that he's home. The world is so lonely.

* * *

It was at this passage that the man had to close the old book and place it back on the shelf. After the funeral had passed, the young criminal detached from his partner and made his way to the poorer side of Kohana.

The apartment complexes seemed to be almost completely cleared out, minus one or two rooms that were occupied in each building. The same, rusty smell lingered in the air and the stray cats still roamed about the dumpsters that littered the back alleyway. Itachi resisted a sigh, only staring at the place with blank eyes as nostalgia creeped through his blood stream like poison.

He remembered coming over at least once a week to spend time with Shin and her mother. It had taken him so long to coax words out of her that he wasn't sure how he had managed to give her up so easily in the end. All that wasted time and effort just for him to make an attempt at her life and run.

Itachi had snuck into her old home with ease, and was almost surprised to find the signs of human life littered about the place. He had heard that Shin disapeared from Kohana a month before her death, which meant that there should not have been fresh dishes in the sink, or dirty clothes litered across the couch. There should have been dust, mold, and grime and there should have been a vacant smell. Instead, the place smelled like freshly cooked break and incense.

Had someone broken into her apartment?

Or had she not been living alone?

The latter seemed almost absurd, seeing as the girl's ability with social interaction was extremely lacking, but he did not rule out the option.

Itachi left the journal on the shelf just in case someone had been living there. He could always come back for it later.

Kirin watched him leave, but did not move from her spot on the windowsill. Her beady eyes followed his movements until he was completely out of sight.

"Come out, Kakashi," the raven spoke. The silver haired man walked out from behind the bathroom door, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why do you think he's back, Kirin?" he asked. The frustration that had been building in his stomach and begun to leak through his pours, the events from the past week or so finally catching up to him. The apartment was lacking without Shin there, even if she didn't say much. There had been some kind of peace between the two, a comfortable silence no one else could fill.

"Shin said to follow the ravens," Kirin replied. "To know who she was. Do you know who she was, Kakashi?"

"If Uchiha Itachi is looking through her things, I don't think I ever did."

Kirin nodded.

By this time Kakashi had taken his seat on the couch, his arm draped around the back of it as if he actually had someone's shoulders to wrap around.

"Are you going to tell me, Kirin?"

"You know I can't do that."

Kakashi nodded.

"Very well."


	3. Bonds

**Chapter Three: Bonds**

* * *

"Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it's not because they enjoy solitude.  
It's because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them."

-MSK

* * *

The days seemed to drag by during the months after her death.

Kakashi eventually moved out of the run down apartment the two had shared and into a small, one bedroom studio closer to Naruto's own complex. It had taken him exactly a week to pack all of his things, which hadn't been much to begin with.

He wasn't sure what to do with Shin's possessions. She didn't have much - small furniture, a good handful of clothes, and pocket weapons. At first he debated bringing them with him to serve his memories, but decided against it in the end and gave them to a local charity.

He had moved in with Shin in the beginning of the year after a local robbery had taken place in his own complex. He had been on a mission with Team 7 when a group of bandits had tore the entire place apart and stolen all of his possessions. He had been sitting on a bench not too far off from where the fire haired woman lived when she had come up to him to ask him how the mission had gone. Kakashi had explained to her what had happened not only on the mission, but at his own home, and within ten minutes she was helping him get settled in her own place.

The man wasn't too surprised about the condition of the place. It was a well known fact throughout the village that Shin came from the poorer side of the community. Her mother was a waitress at a sushi shack that was only open for about 15 hours a week, meaning that the income was low if Shin was stiffed on missions and there was no extra spending money for renovations. Kakashi thought he heard Shin say once that it was her goal to save up enough money to buy a house for her mother, but the woman had passed long before she ever came close to the amount necessary.

He had managed to pick the place up within the first few days of living there. Shin had immediately been sent off with her team and he figured having a few days off meant he could repay her for letting him stay. He started small, just picking up the clothes from the ground and sweeping the floors, and eventually made it to the convenient store to buy fresh pain to cover up the holes in the wall. When she had returned, the look on her face was priceless, and she could do nothing but hug the man until her arms gave out.

It had been eight months since then, and he had gotten comfortable calling the place his home.

However, home was where family was, and the only person he considered family besides his own students had just passed away. There was no way he could bear the sight of the place - there were too many memories.

Kirin had disappeared not too long after Itachi had left the village. Kakashi still wondered what there could have been there for the man to have been looking for, not to mention why Shin had told him anything to begin with. Follow the ravens? Only Kirin could direct her flock of birds, and for her to do so meant she had gotten a direct order from Shin herself.

The man sighed and sat down on the couch in the middle of his empty room.

Life would go on, he knew, but he wasn't ready for it to start back up again just yet.

* * *

_There are moments where I actually believe I am a decent human being._

_I am soaring through the tress on pure chakra control; my arms are extended behind me, cutting through the wind. My hair is flying about my face but I can see in the dark, anyways._

_I am running towards a goal that will inevitably help my village find peace. I am going to follow through on a mission that will protect those around me. I am sacrificing my well being for others. I am a decent human being._

_Then the flames come and I hurt more than I help. I destroy everything I was sent to protect. And I realize I am not decent, and I will never, ever be a human being._

* * *

"Kakashi-kun," a soft voice called. "Dinner?"

The silver haired shinobi looked over from his spot on the couch at the girl behind him.

"Of course, Shin-chan. What are you making?"

He had realized a long time ago that expecting Shin to answer any question that couldn't be answered with a single word was pointless. She didn't talk much at all, really. Everything was simple phrases or hand movements. Her ability to stay calm even in the most dire situations is what made her an excellent shinobi - an ANBU by the mere age of 16 - but it is also what made it hard for her to associate with people on a regular basis.

He was greeted with a plate just a few moments later, an assortment of rice and chicken scattered around it. She wasn't the best cook, but she made an effort, which was all that really mattered at the end of the day.

She sat in front of him on the floor and they ate in silence. When he finished, he brought his plate to the sink and began the dishes.

After all his years of living, he had finally felt like his life had just begun._  
_

* * *

_ After all this time, I wonder._

_Whose memories will I live through if I am destined to outlive everyone I care about?_

* * *

Itachi drew in a deep breath before entering the cave where his partner was waiting. Kisame looked up from his spot on the floor with a grin, the anticipation that had building up upon Itachi's return finally ceasing. He didn't understand the strange behaviors his partner had started exhibiting after they entered Kohana, how he seemed more distant than usual, his eyes carrying something other than unconditional cruelty.

"Let's go, Kisame. Leader is waiting."

"Aye, aye. I'm on it Itachi. I was the one waiting for you, remember?"

The younger man didn't reply, instead away from his partner to begin walking towards the exit of the cave, his hand sticking out of his cloak as to attack at any moment.

Kirin had taken him home only to lead him to what seemed like a dead end. He knew the raven couldn't explain anything, that he had to figure out this mystery on his own, but he expected more than the vast terrain that was Kohana.

What was going home going to do for him? The only thing he had figured out that he hadn't already known was that there was a possibility that Shin hadn't been living alone. Had he been sent on this ridiculous quest just for her to prove to him that she had moved on? She had never been as petty as that - to make him jealous, even after her time had passed.

The entire situation was frustrating. He had more pressing matters to deal with than playing hide and go seek with the mystery of his dead memory of his past life.

But giving up would not be that simple. She was hiding something that could be critical information to not only Kohana and the Akatsuki, but to Itachi's only plans as well.

Don't let Sasuke avenge me, she had said.

If Sasuke deterred from his goal to avenge her at the hands of Orochimaru, then there was a chance that Itachi would die before him and his brother ever got a chance at confrontation. Everything the man did would have been for nothing - he would have slain everyone closest to his heart for unjustifiable cause, and in the end his brother's life would be just as much of a waste as Itachi's own death.

Why did she have to die?

The one person in the world that was able to keep Sasuke at bay, able to keep him alert and focused, had walked into her own death. It technically wasn't a suicide, since Orochimaru had been the one to stop her heart, but she had still walked into that man's base with the intenet to be killed.

Itachi was holding onto the hope that whatever secret Kirin was going to help him uncover would be enough to settle his brother's need for revenge and make the boy once again focus on his own murder.

* * *

_D,_

_I wonder how long I have to make the people around me suffer._

_I want to disappear, find a small place in the woods and never look back. I want to be contained in a cell and barred from human interaction. I want to be free, but to do that I must be imprisoned. Why does no one else see this?_

_I've given myself a break from missions, offering no explanation to the Hokage as to why I am not suitable for combat. He said he understood, to come back when I was ready, but how can I? I'm only fourteen and I'm all alone. My best friend tried to kill me and in return I killed my own mother. I am a menace to society and do not deserve anything more than the means of survival._

_The wound where Itachi's sword broke through my chest has finished healing without even a scar left in its place, but the burning in my skin has only become more prominent._

_The flames have died down, barely extending past the follicles on my skin, but they never stop. I'm so confused as to not only why I haven't burned to death, but as to how I have not acquired a single wound from the constant exposure._

_I want to believe that what Kaa told me is a lie, I want to believe that everything I've known up to this point is still the truth and my entire life has not been an abundance of filler chapters waiting to catch up to the main plot line. I want to believe it, but I have this disgusting gut feeling that she was telling the truth._

_I want to blame Itachi for this. I want to blame him for everything. I hate that man more than I hate myself at this point. If he hadn't tried to kill me, I truly believe I could have lived in ignorance. If he had at least succeeded in killing me, Kaa would still be alive._

_If I ever see Itachi Uchiha again, I will murder him with my own hands._

* * *

"I leave tomorrow, Itachi."

The thirteen year old boy looked at his comrade with a small sigh. It had taken her only two minutes to say something this time, which was a miracle along with a hindrance. Her shyness had been a fun game to get passed at first, but now he wished it would just go - that she would just go. Having a friend was slowly but surely becoming the young captains biggest burden.

"Itachi? Are... are you okay?"

The boy closed his eyes.

"Of course I am, Shin-chan."

Shin nodded, taking a seat next to Itachi under the old tree in the training grounds.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours. Shin had used up all of her energy just trying to insinuate a conversation with him. If he wasn't interested, that was fine. She wasn't going to push him because he never pushed her - too hard, at least. She just wanted some company before she was sent off to the Sand Village. Her mother had been working double shifts lately now that the shack had extended their hours, which made the run down apartment too lonely for comfort.

"How's your mother?"

"She hasn't been too sick lately. Just tired," she replied, moving her arms behind her head and slouching more into the tree. "Sasuke?"

"Growing. He shows a lot of potential."_  
_

"As much as you?"

Itachi shook his head. "My father is not very happy about it."

Shin didn't reply to this because she simply did not know how to. She didn't understand the expectations of fathers simply because no figure had ever existed in her life. She barely knew the expectations of mothers, seeing as hers spent most of her time sleeping or hunched over the toilet, spewing her guts out of her mouth.

"How long are you going to be gone for, Shin-chan?"

"No less than a week."

The relief that flooded through the young man's mind was more than he could have asked for.

He would be gone before she returned.

* * *

_There are times where I look at him and I know. I know there is no one in the world I would rather call my friend._

_I am insanely jealous of him and his talent. I am also jealous of him and his family. A bond between so many people so close and strong that nothing could come inbetween it. I am jealous of Sasuke and his love for his older brother. I am so, so, jealous of him._

_But I do not resent him for having the things I want._

_Because he has all these things but he still chooses to spend his time with me. He has all the things anyone could ever want, but in his spare time he takes comfort in being with me._

_I have never felt special before, but if what I'm feeling now is what special feels like, I never want it to go away. I never want anything to change._

_I want it to be me and him against the world. Fighting for righteousness. Fighting for the village._

_Fighting for each other._

_I will protect him with my life._

_And I'm certain he will do the same for me._

* * *

"Ita...Ita..."

_What have you done?_

What words did a person say to someone who had just betrayed everyone they had ever cared about?

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing but her lungs were failing her. The blood of hundreds of people were creeping through her veins at a rapid pace and it was as if she could feel the pain of every single body that littered the grounds.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks and she screamed as loud as she could.

"_ITACHI!"_


	4. Massacre

**Chapter Four: Massacre**

The world was spinning before her; the reality her and Itachi had created together had become a constant comfort, and now he was ripping it away from her with every passing second. The calm composure she had managed to hold up over the year was slowly slipping with each tear that fell from her black eyes.

She stepped back, trying to get the smell of blood out of her system but it wouldn't stop.

Where was he? She had seen him draw the sword from his cousin's back, but he had fleed before she had a chance to stop him.

Could she stop him?

Sure, the two were matched in skill, but he still had advanced much quicker than she had. They had started together, but finished with him in the lead, which inevitably would predict his victory in their upcoming confrontation.

That was, if she could find him.

Shin wiped the tears from her face and breathed in quickly. She could not allow herself to overreact. Losing her cool would only take back everything she had ever learned as a ninja. Thinking illogically, allowing her emotions to control her actions and words would only lead to failure.

With a sigh, the girl opened her eyes and began her sprint toward's the main Uchiha house.

* * *

Shin screamed and fell to her knees, her face hanging over the limp body's that were Itachi's parents. She was trying so hard to stay calm and collect, but the expression the two clan leaders had died with had been one of complete and utter shock. That their own son would... Shin closed her eyes.

For so long she had wanted what Itachi had; a family that loved and trusted him, a little brother that looked up to him, the ability to please everyone around him... And he had gone and thrown it all away.

The girl gasped from her sudden realization, standing up and running towards the door. She had only found two bodies in a house of four.

Sasuke could still be alive, and she had to find him before Itachi did.

She found both of them in a matter of minutes, resisting the urge to barrel into Itachi full force and knock him out and instead coming to a calming stop besides one of the taller homes in the compound.

Shin focused her chakra paths in both her ears and her feet; her ears to hear the conversation being exchanged between the two, and her feet so that she could be at Sasuke's aid the moment he needed it.

Three point five seconds.

That's all it took for Itachi to disappear from sight, leaving his little brother there crying. Shin could barely sense him, leaving her to make the assumption that he had left completely. She almost sighed in relief - almost - had it not been for the sharp flint of metal that was soon pressed against her back.

"Shin."

She closed her eyes. Three, two, one.

"Itachi."

Breathe. One, two.

"What are you doing here?"

Words, Shin. Find your words.

"What...are you doing?" She mirrored back to him, her eyes still closed.

"You're mission was supposed to last all week," she could sense the tension ins his voice, the instability that he had never shown to her finally shoving itself through his vocal chords. The sword pressed to her back was shaking, as if he was nervous. What right did he have, she wanted to laugh, to be nervous at a time like this?

"I came back early, so I could see you before... you left with ANBU," she whispered. Her response made Itachi wince; his eyes narrowed, his grip on the sword tightened, and he breathed in and out ever so slowly. He could not allow her to affect the status of this mission. He had to...

He swallowed.

"Ita-"

The sword penetrated her back in one swift motion, slidingout of the front of her torso with ease. She didn't scream, not even once, as the blood began to pour from her chest and her mouth.

"-chi," was all that mattered to slip out of her lips before she fell face first into the cement.

He turned, sheathed his sword, and prepared to leave Kohana.

* * *

_It started with my heartbeat._

_My pulse slowed down immensely and the pounding in my chest got harder with every hit._

_I was dying. Bleeding out of my chest and coughing up the remaining blood out of my mouth._

_I could hear his footsteps as he walked away from me._

_One, two, three._

_He was leaving._

_Forever, probably._

_And that in itself was more painful than him trying to kill me._

_My eyes opened, and they were burning my skull._

_My skin felt like I was on fire._

_And when I could finally focus my pupils, I realized..._

_I was on fire._

_I was burning._

_But I was still breathing. And moving. And functioning._

_And I had to stop him._

_I had to stop him from leaving me._

_Because Itachi Uchiha was my best friend, and I wanted to believe that I knew him better than I knew myself. And because of this I wanted to believe that he had a reason for this, because he always had a reason for everything. He was reasonable. He was smart. He was a prodigy._

_He was perfect._

_When I stood up that night, red flames blazing around my body - and what I would later learn is that my coal eyes had turned a burning red as well, I called to him with more assertion and certainty than I had ever had before. And when he turned to look at me, I saw a piece of perfection disappear from his face. I saw his eyes widen in fear, saw his hand slip. I saw his imperfection, and it infuriated me so much that I screamed as loud as I could._

_And everything around me began to burn._

* * *

"KAA!"

The brunette woman looked up from her spot on the couch, her deep brown eyes widening at the sight of her daughter. Her unusually dark eyes were a glowing crimson, and her entire body was covered in red flames.

"Shin..."

"Kaa..." there were tears falling out of her eyes now.

"What happened? Are you... are you bleeding? Why are your clothes torn?"

"Do you not see the rest of me?" Shin asked, her voice louder than usual. The woman stood up and began walking towards her daughter, but Shin only backed up with each step she took.

"Don't touch me, I'll hurt you."

"No, you won't," her mother said, trying to reassure her daughter. "Please, just tell me what happened."

"Itachi... he," she covered her mouth with her hands in attempt to hide the trembling that was taking place, but the sobs had already made their way up her stomach and into her throat. "He... killed me. Tried to...kill me."

"And this happened after he tried to kill you?"

The calmness in her mother's voice was almost soul shaking, the way her face remained still and alert when her daughter was burning before her eyes unnerved Shin in the worst way. She could only nod in response.  
"What's happening to me?" she sobbed, falling to her knees.

"You're... changing," her mother said, kneeling in front of her daughter and placing her hands on her knees. "You need to calm down, okay? The most tense you are, the more the flames will grow. I taught you to be calm, didn't I? I know this sounds harsh, but from this point on you cannot feel anything except contempt, do you understand me? You need to stop feeling right now."

Shin looked up at her mother, her eyes still shining red. The woman forced a small smile onto her face, trying to calm her daughter into believing everything was going to be okay.

"Why did Itachi try to kill you?"

Shin's eyes widened at the question, which sounded more like an accusation than anything else.

"Kaa.."

"Shin, please answer me. Did he try to kill you because of your... eyes?"  
"I need you to speak, Shin," her mother's voice was strong, so much different than what she was used to. It scared her. "Did Itachi try to kill you because of your eyes?"

"No," Shin practically screamed, her voice cracking. "He killed everybody!"

"Okay, okay," her mother replied, putting her hands up in defense. "I just... we can't have anyone knowing about this, okay? You need to calm down, please. If you don't calm down these flames will never disappear and your eyes will never stop burning."

"I can't calm down, Kaa... I don't know whats happening to me."

It was hard to miss the tears forming in the woman's eyes.

"You... Shin, you know I'm not your real mother, right?"

Shin didn't respond.

"Of course you knew," the woman sighed. "We don't look anything alike, do we? Have you ever wondered who your mother was, or even more... your father?"

The girl didn't respond.

"Shin, I need you to speak!"

She looked up, her eyes squinted and glaring at the woman before her. Who was she to yell at her like that? After all she had done to take care of her, to comfort her, to support her, just for her mother to lie to her for her entire existence?

"What do you want from me!?" she yelled, clenching her fists and pounding them into the ground so hard that the entire apartment building began to shake. The fire around her body was rising, consuming the air around the both of them. "You want me to be calm, to not feel, but you still want me to speak? How can I talk about this without getting angry!? How can I not feel, mother, when you've been keeping this from me?"

"Please, calm dow -"

"I will NOT CALM DOWN," she yelled, standing to her feet and towering above her mother with the most frightening expression on her face. "Tell me what's happening!"

She stomped her foot on the ground in frustration, as if she was still a child tying to get her way through means of a tantrum. However, unlike a child, the stomp contained power - enough that all the frames on the wall began to shatter.

"Shin, no stop -"

But it was too late - the flames had grown too wild, too free from the mass amounts of frustration that was leaking through the girl's chakra system. The fury built inside her was enough to keep her blinded up until her mother let out a heart-wrenching scream and was consumed in the glowing red darkness right before her very eyes.


End file.
